Taggart, coach of USC’s bowl foe USF, hired at Oregon

Taggart was reported to have a team meeting scheduled for mid-day to tell his South Florida players of his departure. His next endeavor will be much more high profile, trying to turn around the struggling Oregon Ducks.

The University of OR has made their decision on the next football head coach, and it will be now former South Florida head coach Willie Taggart.

USF won 17 of its last 21 games under Taggart, who is 40-45 overall as a head coach including three seasons at Western Kentucky.

“We have a very bright future under his leadership”, OU athletic director Rob Mullens said in a school release. From a tactical standpoint, Willie Taggart’s offenses are similar to what Chip Kelly built at Oregon. One of the keys to Taggart’s hiring were the people recommending him, including former National Football League coach Tony Dungy, whose son Eric finished his career playing for Taggart after transferring from Oregon. Scott, who became Miami’s interim coach when Al Golden was sacked last year, is a former USF offensive tackle who spent eight years in various capacities on the staffs of Jim Leavitt and Skip Holtz.

ESPN reported Mullen was the runner-up to Taggart in the OR search, continuing what seems like an annual trend of “fill-in-the-blank coach” at “fill-in-the-blank school” being hired despite Mullen having been reportedly involved and interested in the job.

Due to terms of his buyout, Helfrich, 43, is owed $11.6 million for the remaining three years of his contract, according to The Oregonian.

“I want fans to be patient because it took a couple years to get South Florida right.”, he said.

Unfortunately for a program such as USF, successful architects often become hot commodities during the annual coaching carousel, which means the Bulls are in the market for a new head coach to keep them in the mix as a top AAC contender. This past season he led USF to a 10-2 record.

It took two seasons and a change in offensive philosophy from more pro-style, West Coast schemes to a spread, but he now has the 25th-ranked Bulls rolling.

The Bulls will play SC in the Birmingham Bowl Dec. 29.

“I am confident that Coach Taggart fits with the UO’s values and culture of excellence as it relates to supporting our student-athletes’ personal growth and success both on and off the playing field”.

“Jack Harbaugh called Taggart the best recruiter he’s ever worked with”, Nemec said.

Despite the fact that Taggart seems adamant about not going to the National Football League, the first black coach to win a Super Bowl anecdotally signed off on the man who now holds the keys at Oregon. Last year, they broke out with an 8-5 record, winning seven of their final nine games.